Eagles Celebrate Dominant Senior Day Victory
Carson-Newman swimming delivered a dominant all-around performance Saturday afternoon at the Maddox Student Activities Center, sweeping both dual meets against Milligan and Lenoir-Rhyne while posting victories across the majority of individual and relay events.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman swimming delivered a dominant all-around performance Saturday afternoon at the Maddox Student Activities Center, sweeping both dual meets against Milligan and Lenoir-Rhyne while posting victories across the majority of individual and relay events.
"It's always nice to send out the seniors with a big win," said head coach Ben Young. "From the get-go, the atmosphere was electric, and every single race was a new race for this team. These seniors have been through so much—a complete transition and culture shift in how we approach things. More importantly, if you look at the four years, they came in at different levels and with different swimming IQs. It's obvious that they will be missed, and they've made a lasting impact on this team."
The Eagles set the tone immediately in the opening relays. The Carson-Newman women captured the 200-yard medley relay behind a winning time of 1:45.29 from Sarah Covington, Kate Nawyn, Megan Corcoran, and Emma Bowling. Moments later, the men followed suit as Gabriel Morales, Ryan Berry, Will Humphreys, and Arthur Gluzman powered to a first-place finish in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:30.06.
"I was honestly shocked with myself coming off a few weeks of really intense training, so I didn't have too many expectations going into the meet," said Emma Bowling.
In the final relay of the meet, seniors Lillian Hilt and Emma Bowling swam at home for the final time.
"It was a really special moment for us because she is a distance swimmer and I'm a sprinter, so we don't get to swim together too often," said Bowling.
Distance events saw strong performances across the board. On the men's side, Jack Hebert claimed the 1,000-yard freestyle, touching first in 9:42.21 to edge out the field. In the women's 200 freestyle, Fernanda Antunes Paranhos secured the win for Carson-Newman with a time of 1:53.73.
Sprint success followed as Cody Hart won the men's 200 freestyle in 1:42.01, while Sarah Covington added an individual victory by taking the women's 100 backstroke in 57.95. Gabriel Morales continued his standout meet by winning the men's 100 backstroke in 47.36.
The Eagles swept both breaststroke sprints. Paola Gonzalez won the women's 100 breaststroke in 1:06.70, and Ryan Berry captured the men's 100 breaststroke with a time of 56.94. In the butterfly events, Megan Corcoran posted a winning time of 2:03.70 in the women's 200 butterfly, while Milligan claimed the men's 200 butterfly.
Carson-Newman speed shined again in the freestyle sprints. Emma Bowling won the women's 50 freestyle in 23.75, and Gabriel Catapano claimed the men's 50 freestyle with a time of 20.74. Olivia Kerr Muir followed with a victory in the women's 100 freestyle, clocking 53.75, while Cody Hart added another first-place finish by winning the men's 100 freestyle in 46.18.
Senior swimmer Jakov Igrec took the pool for the final time in Jefferson City with his performance in the 100 butterfly.
"I've had some big meets in my life, but the meet today was probably the most nervous I've been in my swim career," said Igrec. "I am glad I can call this place home, and the people here make it so special. It's a place that I can't even really describe."
In the backstroke distance events, Covington completed a sweep by taking the women's 200 backstroke in 2:08.28, and Morales secured his third individual win of the meet in the men's 200 backstroke with a time of 1:46.75.
The breaststroke distance races continued Carson-Newman's momentum. Gonzalez captured the women's 200 breaststroke in 2:24.42, while Milligan edged the men's 200 breaststroke. Delanee Williams delivered a win in the women's 500 freestyle, touching first in 5:19.70, and Catapano added another title in the men's 500 freestyle with a winning time of 4:35.78.
Butterfly events again favored the Eagles as Bowling won the women's 100 butterfly in 57.62, while Milligan topped the men's 100 butterfly. The meet closed with Carson-Newman dominance in the individual medley as Corcoran won the women's 200 IM in 2:08.03.
With the regular season wrapping up in Mossy Creek, the Eagles get a few weeks of rest before preparing for the South Atlantic Conference Championship, beginning Wednesday, Feb. 4–7, at the Kingsport Aquatic Center in Kingsport, Tenn.
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